Tag Archives: HSE Mid-West

NO SUITABLE family doctor has applied to fill a vacancy for a permanent general practitioner in Kilrush, despite five public advertisements over the last five months. Concern has been expressed about the difficulty securing a resident GP in rural parts of West Clare. The HSE Mid-West is currently managing a GP Practice in Kilrush to ensure continuity of GP services for the patients. The HSE advertised the GMS panel on five occasions since January 2023, however, no suitable applicants applied. The HSE has organised recruitment campaigns to fill the vacancy since it arose, however, the vacancy has failed to fill on a permanent basis. HSE Regional Health Forum West member, and Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District Fianna Fáil Councillor Rita McInerney believes enhanced recruitment incentives are urgently needed. Out of the 151 Electoral Districts in Clare, five in Kilrush are classified as economically disadvantaged. Kilrush Urban and Mullagh rank in the Top 100 most deprived EDs across Ireland. …

IN A bid to direct the people of the Mid-West to the most appropriate treatment this winter, the HSE is distributing a leaflet in local newspapers including The Clare Champion this week. With the region’s main hospital, UHL, under continuous pressure and increases in both COVID-19 and Influenza infections anticipated to create a significant surge in admissions, UL Hospitals Group (ULHG) and HSE Mid West Community Healthcare are promoting the new HSE information leaflet to guide people through the various treatment options available locally this winter. Complementing the online guide to local health services at bit.ly/MyHealthMidwest, the leaflet outlines routine and urgent healthcare services for everything from coughs and headaches up to emergency life-threatening conditions and injuries, providing the phone and online contact details. The leaflet highlights such useful HSE website resources as the Health A To Z – a comprehensive guide to almost 400 individual conditions that has details of treatments for each, and contact information for accessing care …

AN ambulance base for west Clare has been identified as a priority for HSE Mid-West and a number of possible sites are being assessed. Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey says the health authority is examining sites in Kilrush for suitability. Deputy Carey, a long-time advocate of an improved ambulance service for West Clare, raised the issue in a recent parliamentary question to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly. He has since been informed by National ambulance Deputy Director William Merriman that a new ambulance base in Kilrush has been identified as a priority. “An option appraisal of sites in the Kilrush area is currently under way and a capital submission will be prepared with detailed briefing document, programme and costs once an appropriate site has been identified,” Mr Merriman explained. Describing the response as a positive development, Deputy Carey said that he would now be asking the HSE to move ahead with the next phase of the project without delay. “The …

A COUNTY Clare family is seeking answers from the HSE concerning the care it provided to a man who took his own life hours after being released from hospital, writes Gordon Deegan. An inquest in Ennis has heard that on the afternoon of December 17 last, the body of the 56-year-old farmer was found by neighbours in the shed on his lands between Miltown Malbay and Lahinch. The grim discovery was made only hours after the man was released from Ennis Hospital at around 4am. The previous day, the man had phoned ambulance control to say that he had access to a knife and a rope and was feeling suicidal. In a sworn deposition at the Clare Coroner’s Court, Garda Bríd Troy of Ennistymon Garda Station said that she arrived at the home of the man on December 16 shortly after, in response to the ambulance call. Garda Troy stated she has received a call at 13.50 concerning the man …

A free evening webinar called ‘Menopause and Me’ takes place this Thursday October 21 from 7-9pm in acknowledgement of World Menopause Day 2021, writes Jessica Quinn. Mairead Kelly, Health and Wellbeing, Health Promotion & Improvement Officer HSE stated, “We hope this webinar will support an affirming and empowering conversation for women in the Mid West who are experiencing perimenopause or menopause. “Menopause is a normal and natural life transition for women. At the same time, not all women go through it at the same pace or have the same experiences – this is why we called the webinar, Menopause and Me.” The menopause is a unique phase in the life of a maturing woman. Health and Wellbeing staff at HSE Mid West Community Healthcare want women to be inspired to prioritise healthy eating, physical activity and their mental and emotional health. Access to informative resources will support them through this life phase. Menopause is a natural part of a woman’s …

An investment of approximately €700,000 per year will see Jigsaw provide a new mental health service for young people in the Mid West. News of the investment was announced by Kathleen Lynch, Minister for Mental Health, Social Care and Primary Care and recruitment of a Project Manager for the Limerick project will commence in February. Jigsaw will provide early intervention and prevention services and also help to integrate existing resources to better support youth mental health. Minister for Education and Skills and Labour TD for Limerick City, Jan O’Sullivan, warmly welcomed the establishment of the new youth mental service for Limerick. “Jigsaw is a fantastic service, provided by the organisation Headstrong.  It is already making a very positive impact on youth mental health in ten communities across the country and I am delighted that my colleague Minister Kathleen Lynch has provided the funding to extend the service to Limerick this year.” “Jigsaw is based on the principle of “somewhere to …

MORE elderly people with high-dependency needs are waiting longer periods for specialised home care packages due to a High Court crux. There are at least 170 local people on a public waiting list who are medically eligible for home help hours but cannot access them following successive cutbacks in funding, totalling an estimated €1 million, for Clarecare in recent years. Since the cuts started in 2009, the reduced funding allocated to Clarecare has seen its annual home help delivery drop by about 30,000 hours annually from a peak of over 200,000 in 2009 to about 170,000, which is now delivered by 370 home helps this year. Clarecare general manager, Fiacra Hensey, said the delay in finalising a High Court case, taken by private home care providers in relation to the provision of home care, is creating a waiting list. The HSE Mid-West said it is not in a position to comment on a matter relating to a legal challenge, while …